The writing is on the wall for internal combustion engines
SOUTH Africa is poised to benefit as zero-emissions vehicles – mainly electric vehicles (EVs) – take centre stage due to mounting concerns over internal combustion engines (ICEs).
The EV revolution looks set to boost the sales of platinum-containing fuel cell vehicles, according to Afriforesight’s head of processing and PGM markets, Tapiwa Chimbganda. South Africa hosts more than 80 percent of the world’s platinum reserves and produces 71 percent of global output.
Carmakers such as Toyota, Hyundai and Honda are leading the development of fuel cell vehicles, with Daimler and BMW also planning to start fuel cell vehicle sales in the next three years.
China announced in mid-September plans to phase out ICEs by 2040. This follows the targets for the phase-out of ICEs set by Norway (2025), the Netherlands (2025), UK (2040) and France (2040), as well as subsidies for all types of zero-emissions vehicles.
The largest global vehicle market became the latest country to publicly discuss plans to ban the production and sale of petrol and diesel-powered engines. Xinhua news agency reported that in July France and the UK published plans to phase out sales of conventionally powered vehicles by 2040. China would now add another nail to the coffin of the ICE.
China’s vice minister of industry and information technology, Xin Guobin, said his ministry had begun work on a timetable to phase out fossil fuelled vehicles. Xinhua also reported that Xin told carmakers that they needed to begin to “readjust their strategies” accordingly.
In light of this, global carmakers are already adjusting their production lines to include more electric vehicles or offer an electric version of more models.
Volvo announced that all its models launched after 2019 would be fully electric or petrol-electric hybrids. The Sweden-based company would continue to produce pure combustion-engine Volvos from models launched before that date, but its move signals the eventual end of nearly a century of Volvos powered solely that way. “This announcement marks the end of the solely combustion engine-powered car,” Volvo Cars chief executive Hakan Samuelsson said.
Volkswagen said it would offer an electric version of each of its models across the group by 2030. The carmaker said it was putting its full force behind a shift into electric cars as it moves away from combustion engines.
Sweeping plans The chief executive, Matthias Mueller, announced sweeping plans to build electric versions of all 300 models in the 12-brand group’s line-up. The German vehicle giant laid out the enormity of the task ahead, vowing to spend €20 billion (R314.83bn) by 2030 to roll out the cars and earmarked another €50bn to buy the batteries needed to power the vehicles, according to a report.
Underpinning the electric car revolution is the advancement of the lightweight and high-energy lithium-ion battery, which makes it possible for electric vehicles to achieve a longer driving range. Although lithium has stolen much of the battery limelight, other metals such as cobalt, nickel and manganese are also needed in the cathode to increase durability and charge cycles.
Chimbganda said cheaper metals such as manganese had been making inroads in the cathode, especially in smaller electric cars.